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Gabapentin Effective for Spinal Cord Injury in Those Able to Tolerate Side-Effects
Clinical Journal of Pain
04/22/2002
By Mark Moran
Gabapentin may be an effective treatment of pain after spinal cord injury among those able to tolerate initial and long-term side effects, say John David Putzke, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, United States.
Of 27 patients with spinal cord injury placed on an experimental trial of gabapentin and contacted six months later, 14 reported a favourable response to the agent. Favourable response was defined as a reduction of two points or more on a 0-10 pain-rating scale.
Six of the 27 discontinued the drug because of intolerable side effects, however, the investigators report.
A second follow-up interview 36 months after the original trial captured 11 of the 14 patients reporting a favorable response at the first interview. Of those, ten continued to report that gabapentin was an effective analgesic. There was no evidence to suggest dosing difficulties due to tolerance over the three-year period.
Sedation, dizziness, and forgetfulness were the most common side effects, the investigators say.
Clinical Journal of Pain 2002;18:116-121.
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